Hasselblad H4D-200MS Farce

PublishedDecember 7, 2011

Originally published: May 27, 2011

Wow! this week Hasselblad announced the H4D-200ms it has a 200mp sensor, it must be 2.5x as good as the IQ1800……NOT. This is not a 200mp sensor. It is a 50mp sensor that can take 6 images (shouldn’t that be 300mp?I think I know that basic math). Well actually it scales down the megapixel count to 33.3mp and takes 6 images. Already there is the flaw in the argument. The concept of multishot technology is that it moves or shifts the sensor slightly allowing for exposures that are then merged together for a theoretical megapixel count of 200mp. In reality its a gimmick and hype. That is not to say that it is not an excellent camera and that it doesn’t have useful applications. Unfortunately you wont be able to take a 200mp picture of a person because they move, and 6 pictures takes a while at roughly 1 fps. Now the images that Hasselblad published with their media release are perfect examples of useful applications that this camera can have. In a studio in controlled conditions, and on a tripod, it can yield amazing results of subjects who can stand still, E.g a Â Merc SLS AMG or Omega watch.

Of course this is just a marketing gimmick. to fight back against PhaseOne and Leaf’s 80mp digital backs. This announcement shows that Hasselblad is taking their time or incapable of releasing an 80mp digital back at the moment. And since we all know if you sneeze on a leaf the moisture will fry the exposed insides as its plummeting towards the ground where it will soon shatter, it seems that PhaseOne is the dominant medium format digital back company at the moment. For give or take a few thousand 45,000 dollars the Hasselblad and Leaf significantly let down the user in terms of ergonomics, usability, and basically everything else that is important to a camera. This is unacceptable especially in cameras of this caliber.